1

A Biography of Ab l-Hasan al-Shdhil

Dating from the Fourteenth Century
Kenneth Honerkamp
The greater part of what we know of the life and teachings of Ab l-Hasan al-Shdhil
(654/1258), founder of the Shdhil Sufi Order is drawn from two primary biographical
works. Latif al-minan 1 by Ibn At Allh of Alexandria (709/1287) and Durrat al-asrr wa
2
tuhfatu al-abrr by Ibn Muhammad b. Ab al-Qsim al-Himyar, known as Ibn al-Sabbgh

(fl. 720/1320).3 Later biographies tend to be works of compilation drawn from these two
4

primary sources. It was therefore with intense interest that I encountered the reference by
Paul Nwyia in Ibn Abbd de Ronda to another primary source on the life of Ab l-Hasan alShdhil located in the Qarawyn Library of Fez, Morocco.5 I was in Fez at the time, doing
research for the critical edition of the Major Collection of the Letters (al-Rasil al-kubr) 6
7
of Ibn Abbd of Ronda and was able to acquire a copy of this precious manuscript. The

following article is a brief introduction to this manuscript.8

Published numerous times in Cairo. This work has recently been translated into French under the title, La
Sagesse des matres soufis by E. Geoffroy (1998).
2

Published in Tunis in 1887. Another edition that is extremely flawed has recently been published in Cairo. This
work has also been translated into English under the title The Mystical Teachings of al-Shadhili, by E. Douglas
(1993).
3

Muhammad al-Arab b. Yusf al-Fs cites Abd al-Nrs Manqib of Imm al-Shdhil in conjunction with
Latif al-minan and Durrat al-asrr in his Mirt al-mahsin min akhbr al-shaykh Ab al-Mahsin, 2003,
p. 258.

This is not to exclude the existence of other primary sources such as Rislat Saf al-Dn ibn Ab al-Mansr ibn
Zfir, ed. and trans. D. Gril, 1986, p. 78, Znat al-nawzir wa tuhfat al-khawtir by the disciple of Ibn Ata
Allh, Rfi Ibn Shfi (presented by D. Gril in Alexandria at the conference: La Voie Soufie des Shdhils) or
Ibn al-Mulaqqin, Tabaqt al-awly, 1973, p. 458-459. These works, however, tend to entail brief biographical
entries that lack detail. The other works of the Order, such as the Hikam, and al-Tanwr f isqt al-tadbr, Ibn
Ayyd, Mafkhir al-ilya also provide insights into the teachings of the early Order, but are more doctrinal than
biographical.
5

P. Nwyia, 1961, p. 21.

Forthcoming from Dar el-Machreq, Beirut, in 2004.

I owe a great debt of gratitude to my friend, Dr. Ezzidine Kharchafi, of the Center for Andalusian Studies and
Research in Chefchaouan, Morocco for sending me a photocopy of the manuscript. I had initially worked from a
handwritten copy of the original.
8

I have completed an annotated critical edition of the text that will appear soon in the Annales Islamologiques de
lInstitut franais darchologie orientale (IFAO, Cairo).

The Manuscript
9

Number: Qarawyn ms. 492/4 (12 pages, fol. 59r - 72v)

Microfilm: number: 1462
Title: Taqyd f tarjamat ahwl al-shaykh Ab l-Hasan Al bin Abd Allah al-shahr bi l10
Shdhil (The Record of the Biography and Spiritual States of Ab l-Hasan al-Shdhil)
Author: Ab Muhammad Abd an-Nr al-Imrn (b. 685/1286)
Description: Each page is 21 cm x 26 cm of thirty lines per page, approximately twelve words a
line with a wide margin. It was written in Maghribi script with colored section headings
on poor quality paper. The copyist is Muhammad b. Muhammad b. al-Raffs al-Husayn.
The manuscript is undated, but paper, style, and the fact that the compilation was
bequeathed to the library as a religious endowment (tahbs) by Sultan Mulay Abd Allh
in 1156/1743-44 indicate that is was written some time before the 18th century, most
probably in the 16th or 17th centuries.

This manuscript is in lamentable condition. Damage from humidity has caused the ink
to spread across most pages and the margins, badly worm-eaten, have been reduced in
binding. All this has made the editing of this manuscript a difficult task; certain passages are
in fact unreadable, as the facsimile of the first page will attest. The Tunisian edition of Durrat
al-asrr, where parallel narratives occurred, was most helpful in filling in some of the
damaged portions. To date I have found no mention of this manuscript in the bibliographies of
manuscript collections that I have accessed.

11

The Author
Abd al-Nr al-Imrn is cited in many of the biographies dealing with the scholars of
Fez.12 He was influential in introducing the teachings of Sufism and particularly those of the
Shdhil Order within the circles of the jurists (fuqah) of fourteenth century Merinid Fez.
We are fortunate to have the accounts of two people who knew him personally, his student
Yahy al-Sarrj (d. 803/1401)

13

and Ibn al-Sakkk (d. 818/1415).14 These accounts by those

who knew him portray Abd al-Nr as a central figure within both the circles of the scholars
and those of the aspirants to the path of Sufism (fuqar). It is of note that both Yahy and Ibn
al-Sakkk were also closely associated with Ibn Abbd of Ronda (1332/1390) 15 as friends
9

Fahrasat makhttt Khiznat al-Qarawyn, ed. Muhammad al-bid al-Fs, 1979, 1/459.

10

This is more a description of the manuscript made by the editor of the catalog than an actual title. I will refer
to the manuscript in this paper as Manqib Ab al-Hasan al-Shdhil.
11
I owe a debt of gratitude to Dr. Nelly Amri of the University of Manouba, Tunis. She consulted the
Bibliothque Nationale de Tunis for a second copy of this manuscript but found nothing.
12

Jadhwat al-iqtibs, Rabat, 1974, p. 448; Kifyat al-muhtj, ed. Muhammad Mut, Rabat, 2000, 1/304; Salwat
al-anfs, ed. Muhammad b. Jafar al-Kittn, lithograph Fez, 3/305.
13

Yahy b. Ahmad b. Muhammad b. Hasan al-Sarrj al-Nafz al-Himyir al-Fs: Jadhwat al-iqtibs, 539;
Kifyat al-muhtj, 2/273; Salwat al-anfs, 2/143-144.

14

Jadhwat al-iqtibs, 238; Nayl al-Ibjihj, 284; Kityat al-muhtj, 1/118-19; Salwat al-anfs, 2/144-46.

15

See note 3 of Ibn Abbd, modle de la Shdhiliyya in the present volume for biographical sources for Ibn

16
and disciples. Abd al-Nr had instructed Ibn Abbd in Arabic grammar and al-Muwatt,

and it is most likely that he had been instrumental in introducing Ibn Abbd to the teachings
of Ab l-Hasan al-Shdhil through the Manqib. Yahy writes of Abd al-Nr:
He was our venerated mentor (shaykhun), a man of the lineage of the Prophet.
He was a judge and a teacher, a distinguished scholar and one who gave the
Friday sermon. He had an integral knowledge of fiqh, and among the foremost of
the people of sound judgement [in civil affairs] (ahl al-shr). His pen was more
eloquent than his tongue. He bore a commitment to the path of Sufism (tarqat alqawm), and a love of those affiliated to it. He was easily moved to tears and had a
17
great love for people committed to a life of piety.

Ibn al-Sakkk is the first Moroccan author to mention by name the tarqa Shdhilya in
Morocco, he was also the first to ascribe the appellation of shdhil to Ibn Abbd. His book,
Kitb al-Aslib,18 is an exposition of the essential principle, as Ibn al-Sakkk perceived it, of
Islamic spirituality: the abandonment of all claims to strength or personal capability (atabarri
min al-hawl wa al-quwwa). In the sixth and last of his aslb (fol. 107r.-129v.) he affirms the
centrality of this principle to the teachings of the tarqa Shdhilya. In this chapter he cites the
works and saying of venerable masters of the shdhil path, among them we find Abd al-Nr
al-Imrn mentioned.
Among the last to compose [a work] on the excellence of the master [Ab lHasan al-Shdhil] and who collected a portion of his teachings on the divine
realities (haqiq) was the discerning scholar (al-lim al-muhaqqaq) Sayyid
Abd al-Nrleader of the aspirants on the path (ras al-fuqar), foremost
among the people of legal judgement (muqaddam arbb al-futy), established in
the way of [Imm] Mlik. Let anyone who wishes to ascertain something of the
lofty station of this spiritual pole (qutb) [Ab l-Hasan] study the book
19
compiled by that discerning scholar [Abd al-Nr].

We can ascertain from the above passages that Abd al-Nrs erudition went beyond the
domain of fiqh. His interests in Sufism would bring him in 745/1345, at the age of sixty, to
travel to Tunis to seek out the disciples of Ab l-Hasan al-Shdhil. There he met and narrated
extensively from Ab al-Abbs Ahmad al-Jm, who had frequented a number of direct
disciples Ab l-Hasan al-Shdhil. From al-Jm he collected the stories, sayings and ahzb
(litanies) of the Tarqa and brought them back to Fez in his work: Manqib Ab al-Hasan alShdhil.
Abbd.
16

Yahy was the recipient of the greater portion of the correspondence that comprises the two collections of the
letters of Ibn Abbb, the greater and the lesser, it was at the request of Yahy that Ibn Abbd wrote the
commentary of the Hikam of Ibn At Allh.
17

Kifyat al-muhtj from the Fahrasat Yahy al-Sarrj, p. 304.

18

Uslb min-al-kalm al l hawla wa-la quwwata illa billh (known as Kitb al-Aslb) Ms. Escorial no. 384/
3, 914/1508, fol. 59 r-133v. See Nwiya, 1961, p. 16-22 for an overview of this work.

19

Kitb al-Aslb, fol. 108 r.

The Text: Manqib Ab l-Hasan al-Shdhil

The Manqib begins in the traditional manner with a short preamble in which the author
cites his name, gives praise to God and asks for blessing upon the Prophet. He then sets down
the reason for writing the book: his intention to narrate the accounts of the spiritual states of
Ab l-Hasan al-Shdhil that he had gathered during his sojourn in Tunis from those who had
known the disciples of Ab l-Hasan himself.
The major narrator of these accounts is Ab al-Abbs Ahmad al-Murd, known as alJm who, although he had not been a direct disciple of al-Shdhil, had frequented the early
disciples. Ab al-Abbs narrates from Ab Abd-Allah [Muhammad] Ibn Sultn and his
20

brother Ab al-Azim Md b. Sultn (718/1318).

Other disciples of Ab l-Hasan

mentioned in the narratives are Ab Muhammad Abd Allh al-Habb,21 his first disciple in
Tunis, and Ab Abd Allh al-Qazdr. The majority of the narratives are however from Ab
Abd-Allah Ibn Sultn. Abd al-Nr affirms his source, in the style of the faqh, stating that,
When I ascribe a narration directly to Ab l-Hasan, without mention of a chain (sanad), it is
as I have heard it from Ab al-Abbs who has narrated it to me from Sayyid Ab Abd
Allh b. Sultn (Manqib fol. 59r).
In his introduction Abd al-Nr affords us a precious insight into the process of
collecting the narratives and his commitment to transmitting the accounts he was receiving in
as accurate a manner as possible. This passage also shows that the disciples in Tunis had
written records of the early teachings of Ab l-Hasan. Abd al-Nr writes:
He [Ab al-Abbs] would dictate to me during numerous sessions (majlis)
those reports which were pertinent to the topics we were discussing. Then God
inspired me to write it down. So he would dictate to me after each discourse.
Such it was that at times I would reread his recitation to him after having written
it down, verifying it [with him]. Praise to God. (Manqib fol. 60v)

Index of Chapters 22
Chapter One: His lineage, his early instruction and initiation by Shaykh Abd al-Salm

20

Ab al-Azim Md b. Sultn is mentioned in the first chapter of Durrat al-asrr eleven times, he was
among the first and most dedicated disciples of Ab l-Hasan. Ibn al-Sabbgh draws on him extensively for the
early biographical accounts of al-Shdhil. Md b. Sultn was 116 years old when he died in Tunis, Durrat alasrr, p. 176.

21

His full name was [Ab Muhammad] Abd Allh b. [Salma] al-Habb, Durrat al-asrr, 8. al-Habb appears
in the Rasil al-Kubr, litho. Fez, 33 in which Ibn Abbd relates a vision of Ab l-Hasan from the Manqib.
22

Durrat al-asrr has five chapters. 1) His noble lineage and his initiation by Ibn Mashsh; 2) Extracts of his
letters; 3) His litanies and supplications, his invocations and personal prayers; 4) His visions, teachings treating
Sufism, divine reality (haqqa) and advice to his disciples; 5) His death and his spiritual heir Ab al-Abbs alMurs.

Ibn Mashsh (d. 622/1225) on Mount Alam and some of the sayings of Ibn Mashsh. (fol.
60v- 61v)
Chapter Two: His arrival in Ifriqya and some of the miracles that occurred there and
accounts of his elevated states related to his blindness. (fol. 61v- 63r)
Chapter Three: His teachings testifying to his exalted station. (fol. 63v - 68v)
Chapter Four: Extracts from his letters to his disciples. (fol. 68v- 71v)
Chapter Five: His litanies, invocations and supplications. (fol. 71v- 72v)
Chapter Six: The virtues of his companions. (incomplete)

23

A Summary Analysis of the Contents of the Manqib

The Manqib of Imm al-Shdhil is an orderly arrangement of narrative traditions
collected by Abd al-Nr in Tunis in 745/1345. These traditions include the miracles, visions,
intimate discourses with God and teachings of Ab al-Hasan al-Shdhil. These narrative
traditions, from a variety of perspectives, impart authenticity to the nascent Shdhil order of
Tunis and testify to the stature of the founder of the order within the hierarchy of Islamic
spirituality. They emphasize, on the one hand, the divine favors bestowed upon Imm alShdhil in the form of visions of the Prophet and intimate discourse with God, while
affirming the orders spiritual and intellectual continuity with the themes of traditional
Sufism.
Chapter one (fol. 60v- 61v sections 1-7)

24

deals with the origins of the Shdhil order

from the initial indecision of Ab l-Hasan as an aspirant of the path to his meeting with
Shaykh Abd al-Salm Ibn Mashsh. As a youth Ab l-Hasan was hesitating between living
the life of an ascetic in the wilderness in order to give himself up totally to worship and
invocation, or to return to the towns and settlements to be in the company of the scholars and
the righteous. When he heard of a saintly man living in seclusion on Mount Alam in the
North of Morocco he hastened to meet him and his life changed. Even as he approached the
cave of Ibn Mashsh he heard from within,
O God, there are people who ask You to give them power over your
creatures, and You give them that. But I, O God, beg You to turn Your
creatures from me so that I may have no refuge except in You. (60v; Durrat
25
al-asrr, 7/11)
23

The author did not in fact complete this initial arrangement of the chapters. Chapter Five contains only one
litany, Chapter Six: The virtues of his companions, is but a title heading and was never completed.

24

I have separated the text into seventy-one sections of unequal length in accordance with specific narrative
traditions or subject matter. The nature of the text lends itself well to this treatment and facilitates an analysis of
the text making a comparison of the narrations of the Manqib with the other biographies of Ab l-Hasan;
Durrat al-asrr and Latif al-minan an easier task.
25

See The Mystical Teachings of al-Shdhil, p. 18. In my translations of narratives from the Manqib that are

The next morning, when he greeted his teacher to be, he asked him of his state (kayf al-hl),
to which Ibn Mashsh responded,
I complain unto God about the coolness of contentment and submission
(bard al-rid wa al-taslm) just as you complain unto Him about the heat of
26
self-direction and choice (harr al-tadbr wa al-ikhtiyr). (60v)

When Ab l-Hasan asked how the master could complain of the coolness of contentment
and submission, the shaykh replied, Because, I fear that their sweetness will distract me
from God. These seminal teachings of Ibn Mashsh would, through Ab l-Hasan, become
the foundational precepts of the Shdhil path. The emphasis on the transformation of
consciousness to inward and outward God-centeredness, contentment with God in all states,
and the inner withdrawal from creation in prosperity and adversity are all prefigured in the
discourses narrated in this chapter of the Manqib.
In this chapter Ibn Mashsh foretells his students eventual move to North Africa
(Ifrqya) where he will become known by the name of al-Shdhil and the eminent spiritual
station he will eventually inherit from Ibn Mashsh himself. Ab l-Hasan relates that in a
dream, he saw his master standing near the Divine Throne, when he tells him this in the
morning Ibn Mashsh replies, O Al, it was not me you saw, it was the station you will
inherit from me. The parting words of advice and admonition that Ibn Mashsh gives his
disciple before he departs for Tunis serve as a fitting end to this first chapter of the
27

Manqib.

O Al, God is God, and men are men. Keep your tongue from mentioning
them and your heart from imitating their ways. Be assiduous in the fulfillment
of the mandatory practices of the religion and protect your bodily members
from forbidden things. In you the role of sainthood will have reached fruition.
Only admonish others to the degree that is obligatory upon you. And say, O
God, give me repose from their mention [of me] and from any obstacles
arising from them. Deliver me from their evil. Let Your bounty suffice me
from [having to seek] their bounty, and protect me among them by Your
special grace. Verily, You have power over all things. (60v; Durrat al-asrr
also cited in Durrat al-asrr I will follow the folio reference from the Manqib with the page and line from the
Tunisian edition. In order to facilitate access to more extensive English translations of these citations, I will cite
referents from The Mystical Teachings of al-Shdhil. All translations in this chapter, however, unless otherwise
stated, are my own.
26

See La Sagesse des Matres Soufis for the translation of this passage, p. 102-103.

27

These two passages reflect the five principles that Ahmed Zarrq (846/1442- 899/1494) would eventually
formulate as the foundations of the Shdhil Order in his The Principles of the Path and the Foundations of the
Truth (Usl al-tarqah wa usus al-haqqah)
1. Godwariness inwardly and outwardly
2. Accordance with sunna in speech and deed
3. Withdrawal from creation, in prosperity and adversity
4. Contentment with God in scarcity and plenty
5. Turning to God in joy and sorrow
Ibn Ayyd, al-Mafkhir al-iliyya, Caire, 1315/1898, p. 94-96.

5/15 )

28

Ibn Mashsh also said

O Al, flee from mens benevolence more than you flee from their
malevolence. Because their benevolence will afflict your heart, while their
evil will only afflict your body, and it is better that the body be afflicted than
29
the heart. (60v; Durrat al-asrr 94/10)

Chapter Two (fol. 61v- 63v sections 8-38) treats the arrival of Ab l-Hasan in Tunis.
Two themes are central to this chapter: the visions, intimate discourses, and miracles of the
Shaykh and the affirmation and definition of his role as a spiritual master and as the Qutb.
The greater part of these visions are of the Prophet, who orders him down from Mount
Zaghwn to take up his role as a teacher among the people, and who provides him, through
intimate discourse, with the counsel and insights that illuminate his teachings with prophetic
light. In all, this chapter includes twenty narratives treating visions of angels, the Divine
Throne, the mysterious Khidr, other prophets, and the Companions, such as Umar and Ab
Bakr al-Siddq. Throughout these narratives the role of Ab l-Hasan within the spiritual
hierarchy of sainthood (walya) is touched upon again and again. One long narrative treats
the fifteen signs by which one may recognize the Pole (qutb)

30

another, reminiscent of the

Mirj, introduces Ab l-Hasans vision of the Highest Heaven (Illiyn) and his direct
discourse with God.31 In another, when asked of his own spiritual master he responded:
For a long time I was attached to the Shaykh Ab Muhammad ibn Mashsh,
but now I am swimming in ten seas: five of the descendants of Adam and five
of angelic beings (rhnyn). The descendants of Adam are the Prophet, may
the peace and blessings of God be upon him, and the four Caliphs after him;
the spiritual beings are Jibrl, Mikil, Isrfl, Azrl, and the Spirit. (62r;
32
Durrat al-asrr 111/13)

He also related
When God rent the veil [of manifestation] from me, I said, O God, veil
Yourself from me as You have veiled Yourself from Your creation. To
which God replied, If you asked me in the manner Moses, My spokesman
(kalm), asked me, or like Jesus, My spirit (rh), asked or Muhammad, My
attribute (sifat), I would not veil Myself from you; rather ask Me to
strengthen you. So I asked Him to strengthen me, and now by God, were He
to be veiled from me for the blink of an eye I would die. (62r)
28

My thanks to Michael Fitzgerald, I have drawn extensively on his translations of the about sections from his,
as yet unpublished critical edition and translation of, Ibn Ajbas Commentary of the Taslya of Ibn Mashsh .
Also see The Mystical Teachings of al-Shadhili, p. 16.

29

The Mystical Teachings of al-Shadhili, p. 137.

30

This passage has been translated in both La Sagesse des Matres, p. 106, and in The Mystical Teachings of alShadhili, p. 108.

31
32

Ibid., p.161.
Ibid., p. 157. See also E. Geoffroy, 1998, p. 89.

He also related that, The animals in the wilderness derive sustenance from me, the fish
in the sea derive sustenance from me and the French derive substance from me. (62r)
Concerning his companions he said:
Khadir said to me, O Al I will be there for your companions after you.
To which I replied, No, I will be there for my companions, both the living
and the dead. (63r)

He also related of his role as a spiritual master:

Whoever desires the exalted ranks of this world and the next (drayn), let
them retire with me for two breaths (nafasayn), and whoever retires with me
for two breaths, I will grant protection in both worlds. (62v)

He also said of his role with his companions:

Anyone of my companions who has not reach his [destined] spiritual station
I will bring him there. (63r)

Of his companions to come he said:

I have companions born of men and women that have not yet been created,
their spirits (arwhuhum) have already made the pact with me (byan).
(63r)

Chapter two concludes with a warning as to the deceptive nature of the ego-self (nafs)
and an admonition to be ever vigilant over ones thoughts, inclinations, and inner attitudes.
This final narration, presented as an intimate discourse: It was said to me (qla l),
concisely delineates the two-fold response to the flawed nature of the nafs which has long
been associated with the methodology of the Shdhilya path. Give the nafs no respite; either
outwardly or inwardly. Outwardly restrain it within the bounds of the Qurn and Sunna;
inwardly, do not be distracted, remain focused upon divine unity (mushhada tawhdya).
Shaykh Ab l-Hasan concluded the narrative saying:
Arm yourself with ritual purification, fasting, prayer, dhikr, reciting the
Qurn and renouncing all claims to strength and power and you will be safe.
Should you be overwhelmed, take faith as your fortress, and if you are
overcome surrender the affair to God. Remain steadfast with divine unity
(tawhd), faith, and the love of God. Drown the mundane world in the ocean
33
of Tawhd before it drowns you. (63r; Durrat al-asrr 121/18)

Chapter Three (fol. 63v- 68r sections 39-68) is the longest chapter in the Manqib. It
entails an eclectic array of topics ranging from advice and counsel for initiates and the nature
of the path and journeying (sulk) itself, to short aphorisms. Many of the narratives are
representative of the speculative discourse that has always marked the Shdhilya tradition.
Discourses on the nature of knowledge (marifa) and sainthood, complimented with Quranic
33

For full translation of this narrative see The Mystical Teachings of al-Shadhili, p.171-172.

exegeses and hadith commentary, have always been important elements of the teachings of
Shaykh Ab l-Hasan. Much of the discourse is a marked by a propensity to categorize and
classify in accordance with traditional Islamic legal thought, to which Shaykh Ab l-Hasan,
as a figure well established in the erudition of his times, was no stranger. In the first narrative
of this chapter the Shaykh discusses the four-fold nature of the path to God and the spiritual
typology of each aspirant upon these paths along with the degree upon which each is founded
and fruit of each of the four. He states:
The most direct path to God is founded upon four things. He who accomplishes
them [all] is one of the true mystics, well-versed in the secrets of reality (siddiqn
muhaqqiqn). He who accomplishes three of them is one of the friends of God (wal)
who have been drawn near to Him. He who accomplishes two of them is one of the
firmly believing martyrs (shuhad). He who accomplishes one of them is one of the
upright servants of God.
34
The first of these four is remembrance (dhikr), the degree (bist) of which is
righteous works, and the fruit of which is illumination. The second is meditation
(tafakkur), the degree of which is perseverance, and the fruit of which is knowledge
(ilm). The third is spiritual poverty (faqr) the degree of which is thankfulness, and
the fruit of which is an increase in it. The fourth is love (hubb), the degree of which
is disdain for the world and those of it, and the fruit of which is union with the
35
beloved. (63v; Durrat al-asrr 71/13)

This chapter systematically treats the nature of knowledge from the belief in the oneness
of God of the commonality, to al-marifa al-uzm in which the attributes of the knower
attains equality with those of his known. The longest discourse in the Manqib appears in
this chapter and elucidates the inherent relationship between the spiritual states of the
aspirants and the degrees of knowledge of God they have attained.
- Four categories of knowledge (marifa) (65r)
Knowledge of the commonality (al-awmm)
Knowledge of the elect (al-khawss)
Knowledge of the elect among the elect (khawss al-khawss)
Supreme knowledge (al- marifa al-uzm)
This chapter also includes a long discussion of the degrees of knowledge of the scholars,
ascetics and the elect (65v-66v; Durrat al-asrr 132-36)

36

Central to this systematic treatment of knowledge, its degrees and states, was how the
various degrees of knowledge resonated within the scheme of the journey to God itself. The
heart of this chapter is thus a systematic discussion of the nature of the journey to God and the
34

Shaykh al-Shdhil employs the word bist frequently, the word refers to a carpet or a mat that one sits upon.
Within the framework of his teachings however, the word is a metaphor for a degree, station or stable state, as
when he refers to the bist al-murqaba or the state of meditation. I have thus translated bist as degree.

35

Translation, E. Douglas, with some variants, The Mystical Teachings of al-Shadhili, p. 109.

36

Ibid., p. 186-191.

typologies of the journeyers, whether devotees (ibd), ascetics (zuhhd), scholars, veracious
ones (siqiqqn), or friends of God (awliy). These discussions contextualize and portray the
spiritual journey as a multi-faceted hierarchy of varying paths and journeyers that intrinsically
mirror to the multi-faceted nature of divine reality itself. Among the discourses dealing with
the path to God are the following:
- The four principles of the path (63v; Durrat al-asrr 79/16 80/13)

37

- The four paths to God: (64r)

The path of the righteous (slihn)
The path of the scholars (ulam)
The path of the friends of God (awliy)
The path of the veracious ones (siqiqqn)
- The four types of aspirants, their foundations (usl) and states: (64r)
Devotees (ibd)
Ascetics (zuhhd,)
Friends of God (awliy)
Veracious ones (siddqn)
Walya as the fruit of the path to God corresponds to the highest degree of experiential
knowledge of God, marifa. The wal as a journeyer and a vehicle of marifa exemplified the
highest aspirations of the path for other journeyers. The wal, as an exemplar and spiritual
master, was thus central to the process of the actualization of the knowledge of God. In effect
the exemplar was the goal of the aspirant and the seal of authenticity of the path itself, for by
their very comportment they reflected essential unity on the individual level with all saints, on
the one hand, and with the inherent unity of Divine Reality on the other. Walya was a central
concept to the teachings of the Shdhilya from the earliest times it is thus no surprise to find
that the Manqib offers new insights into the place of the wal within the spiritual hierarchy of
Islamic mysticism and his role within Islamic society. On the subject of wal and the portion
people share in him (huzz al-khalq al al-wal) Shaykh al-Shdhil said;
People hold a share (hazz) in the wal in four things. For the commonality it is the
presence of blessings (baraka); the portion of the elect among the commonality - the
devotees and ascetics - is the revealing of miracles; the portion of the scholars is
[exegetic] mastery and eloquence in Qurnic verses; and the portion of the friends
of God from him is governance of the spiritual surroundings through unveiling (alishrf bi-l-kashf al al-iht) - meaning that he speaks of fundamental and ultimate
truths (al-awwaliyt wa al-akhiriyt).

He then continues his narrative with further elucidation of the state of the wal saying:

10

Why do you ponder [the state of] the wal? If you say, The outer aspect [of
things] gives clear indication, I would say, It is greater [than you imagine],
the dust or even the least of his words on traditional views of divine unity
(tawhd) would suffice you. The Law outwardly conceals him. If you ask him
of subtleties of journeying (raqiq), he will efface them for you with
subtleties of divine realities (daqiq). If you ask him of people (al-khalq), he
will efface them for you in Divine Truth (al-Haqq) and cause you to turn from
them in disdain. (64v-65r)

Complimentary to the systematic treatment of the greater part of narratives in this chapter
are the many aphorisms (hikam) that accent the themes or topics of the narratives in a more
direct and intuitive manner. I will cite here a several of the hikam of Shaykh al-Shdhil.
Regarding experiential knowledge he said, Knowledge derived from evidence (dall)
and logical proof (burhn) is the knowledge of the blind. Knowledge of the prophets and
siddiqn is the knowledge of witnessing (shuhd) and true vision (iyn). God Most Exalted
has said: The heart did not give the lie to what it saw. Do you then cast doubt on what it
saw? [Srat al-Najm, 11]. (67v)
He also related concerning the knowledge of the inner secret (al-sirr), One who does not
see everything from his inner secret (sirr) as a delusion (sarb), deception and confusion are
their dwelling place. (67v)
He said of the certainty of the veracious believer, The certainty of the veracious believer
would only increase were all those who dwelled on the earth to belie him; and were they to
affirm him in the truth he would only become more soundly established. (68r)
He also said, I lost all hope of benefiting myself (nafs) by my own means, how can I
not lose hope of receiving benefit from others? I anticipate Gods benefits for others, shall I
not anticipate it for myself? (67v; Durrat al-asrr, 93/13)

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He also said, If others call out to Him from the carpet (bist) of obedience, [you should]
call out to Him from the carpet of disobedience. (67v)
To conclude this over view of Chapter Three I will cite a narration that does not appear in
the other collections that I am familiar with. In this narrative Shaykh al-Shdhil discusses the
four universes and the reciprocal manner in which they resonate within manifestation. Shaykh
Ab l-Hasan said:
The universes are four in number: solid bodies (ajsm kathfa), the universe
of subtle bodies (ajsm latfa), the universe of translucent spirits (arwh
shaffa), and the universe of mysterious secrets (asrr gharba). When the
solid bodies are isolated unto themsleves they form the inanimate world, solid
and subtle bodies when brought together with translucent spirits result in
human beings, and when these three with the mysterious secrets are mingled

37

Ibid., p.118.

38

Ibid., p. 136.

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they become a prophet or a siddq. If it is a prophet he is given command of

the community (al-umma) and if he is a friend of God (al-wal) he is given
command over spiritual secrets (al-asrr). (67v)

Chapter Four (fol. 68v- 71v) contains extracts of three letters written by Shaykh alShdhil to his disciples. The two longest letters, one to Ab Yahy al-Mahjb (Jaml alHabb) (D.A. 25-26) and the other to Letter to Ab l-Hasan Al Ibn Makhlf (D.A. 29-38),
39

appear in Durrat al-asrr and have appeared in translation.

The second letter (68v) to the

best of my knowledge has not appeared in print. It treats walya and the attributes of the
awliy, If you see them from the point of view of human beings you see human attributes; if
you see them from the point of view of the Truth (al-Haqq) you see the attributes of God and
his magnificence. These three letters treat in a more discursive manner the general the
themes dealt with in Chapter Three.
Chapter Five (fol. 71v- 72v) is the final chapter of the Manqib. At the beginning of the
chapter Abd al-Nr informs us that he intends to narrate the litanies, invocations and
supplications of Shaykh Ab l-Hasan as dictated to him by Ab al-Abbs al-Jm. It appears,
40

however, that this chapter was not completed for it consists of but one short litany.

The

litany Abd al-Nr cites entitled the Hizb al-Kabr, however, is problematic. Ibn Sabbgh
cites the same hizb as a short preamble to the Hizb al-Kabr (D.A 41-44). This preamble is
also known as the Hizb al-yt.41 Abd al-Halm Mahmd has clarified this apparent case of
mistaken identity by noting that this hizb may have been recited as a preamble by Ab lHasan al-Shdhil when time permitted, otherwise the recitation of the Hizb al-Kabr began
42
from verse 111 from Surat al-Tawba. Abd al-Nr must have been aware of this, for despite

the abbreviated form of the Hizb in the Manqib we know that he was considered a key figure
in the chain of transmission of the complete Hizb al-Kabr within the shdhil circles of Fez.
Several works of the early Shdhilya of Fez make mention of Abd al-Nr as a
transmitter of the Hizb al-Kabr. Muhammad al-Arab b. Ysuf al-Fs (d. 1052/1643)
mentions the existence of three chains of transmission of the Hizb in Fez: those of Abd al43

Nr, Ibn Sabbgh and that of Ibn Abbd which he relates was the most prevalent in Fez.
Muhammad b. Abd al-Rahmn al-Fs (d. 1134 /1722) in his Fahrasa
39

44

mentions a narrative

Ibid. p. 41-42 and p. 46-65.

40

It is also possible that this manuscript is incomplete, the colophon at the end of the manuscript (fol. 72v)
however indicates that the scribe was also under the impression that this was the end of the composition.

41

Abd al-Halm Mahmd, al-Madrasa al-shdhilya al-hadtha, Cairo, n.d p. 184-190.

42

Ibid., p. 184. The Hizb Kabr was also known as Hizb idh jaka.

43

Mirt al-mahsin, ed. al-Sharf M. H. al-Kittni, Casablanca, 2003, p. 134.

44

Al-Minah al-bdya f al-aslb al-lya, Ms. cited by P. Nwyia, 1961, p. 54.

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chain that connects Ibn Abbd to the textual tradition of Imm al-Shdhil through Abd alNr, Ab al-Abbs al-Jm, Ab and Abd Allh b. Sultn; this is the chain of the Manqib.

The Critical Edition

In my critical edition of the The Manqib Ab al-Hasan al-Shdhil I separated the text
into seventy-one sections of unequal length in accordance with specific narrative traditions or
subject matter. The nature of the text lends itself well to this treatment and facilitates an
analysis of the text and the comparison of the citations of the Manqib with the other
biographies of Ab l-Hasan; Durrat al-asrr and Latif al-minan an easier task. Ibn alSabbgh had had direct access to the disciples of Shaykh Shdhil in Tunis, particularly Md
b. Sultn. Abd al-Nr, twenty to twenty five years after Ibn Sabbgh, however, had access to
a representative of the order who was a disciple of Ab Abd Allh b. Sultan and his brother
Md b. Sultn. The two texts are therefore quite similar and tend to parallel each other in
many ways. Ibn Sabbgh, however, had not exhausted the Tunisian tradition of the
Shdhilya. In the Manqib we have a wealth of new material and a key to a more in-depth
understanding of the Tunisian branch of the early Shdhilya. Of the seventy-one sections of
the Manqib there are thirty-four narrations and one letter that do not occur in either Durrat
45
al-asrr or the Latif al-minan. In the eventual critical Arabic edition of the Manqib I will

note the parallel narratives from Durrat al-asrr where I am aware of similarity. It should be
held in mind, however, that even in the parallel narratives important variants often occur, at
times serving as interpretation, clarification or of linguistic interest.

Conclusion
A cursory overview of the Manqib of Abd al-Nr al-Imran and subsequent
references to it from traditional Moroccan sources have led me to the following conclusions
regarding the text and the manner in which it has augmented our knowledge of the Shdhilya
Order.
1) The text provides 34 previously unpublished narratives and one letter of Ab l-Hasan
al-Shdhil.
2) The similarities between this text with that of Ibn Sabbgh, composed independently
some 25 years earlier, indicate the existence of an integral written tradition of the Tunisian
branch of the Shdhilya.
3) The specific chain of transmission of the Manqib allows us to identify a portion of
45

There is little in the Manqib that parallels Latif al-minan.

13

the citations of Ibn Sabbgh as belonging to the Tunisian branch of the order. Ibn Sabbgh,
after the biographical citations of the first chapter does not usually ascribe his citations to
specific narrators.
4) There are references in later works to Abd al-Nr and the Manqib that confirm an
46

early link between Fez and the Tunisian branch of the Shdhilya.

5) Ibn Abbd appears to have played an axial role between Tunisian and Egyptian
Shdhil Orders. He was a student of Abd al-Nr on the one hand and the person who
popularized the works of Ibn AtAllh in Fez on the other. Thus Ibn Abbd became the
figure who best exemplified shdhil teachings in both its traditions. Ahmed Zarrq said of
Ibn Abbd that, The substance (zubda) of its teachings are found in the letters [The Lesser
and Greater Collections] and his commentary on the Hikam.

47

Bibliography
Al-Fs Muhammad al-Arab b. Yusf, 2003, Mirt al-mahsin, ed. al-Sharf M. H. alKittni, Casablanca, p. 134.
Cornell V., 1998, Realm of the Saint, Austin.
Douglas E., 1993, The Mystical Teachings of al-Shadhili, New York.
Fitzgerald M., 1983, Ibn Ajbas Commentary of the Taslya of Ibn Mashsh, Marrakesh,
Morocco.
Geoffroy E., 1998, La Sagesse des matres soufis, Paris.
Gril D. (ed. and trans.), 1986, Rislat Saf al-Dn ibn Ab al-Mansr ibn Zfir, Cairo.
Ibn Ayyd, 1315/1898, al-Mafkhir al-iliyya, Cairo.
Nwyia P., 1961, Ibn Abbd de Ronda, Beirut.

46

V. Cornell confirms this link from an early time between Tunis, Fez and Tlemcen in Realm of the Saint,
Austin, 1998, p. 153-154.

47

A. Zarrq, Uddat al-murd al-Sdiq, Rabat, Ministry of Islamic Affairs, 1998, p. 432.

14